Master's Guides for Vessel Traffic to be updated: Vessels given obligation to submit a notice of channel use in situations where the adequacy of the fairway space cannot be ensured on the basis of the design of the fairway

The Master's Guides for Vessel Traffic will be updated on 5 June 2023. A new instruction has been added, in which vessels are instructed to submit a notification and more detailed calculations of allowance in a situation where the adequacy of the fairway space cannot be ensured on the basis of the design of the fairway.

In the future, all vessels participating in the Finnish vessel traffic services will be required to submit a notice of channel use to ensure safe navigation. The new notice of channel use is valid in all Finnish VTS areas. The purpose of the notice of channel use is to demonstrate that the vessel has sufficient under keel clearance in situations where the vessel uses the fairway in a manner that differs from its design. When use deviates from the design of the fairway this means that the adequacy of the dimensioned fairway space cannot be verified on the basis of the design of the fairway.

Submit a notification! A vessel arriving at the port must submit a notice of channel use no later than 24 hours before arriving at the pilot boarding position. If its time of arrival is in less than 24 hours, the notification must be submitted at the latest in connection with the notification of departure from the previous port.

The notice of channel use made by the vessel must contain the following information:

• which fairway or fairway section the vessel intends to use in a way that differs from the fairway’s design
• in what way the fairway or fairway section is to be used in a manner that differs from its design
• Length BP and Breadth
• Static Draught
• Centre of Buoyancy (KB)
• Centre of Gravity (KG)
• Metacentric Height (GM)
• Block Coefficient (Cb)

The notice of channel use enables the monitoring of vessel traffic and the identification of long-term risks. The procedure increases safety on Finnish routes, improves the transport performance of vessels and proactively protects the marine environment.

More detailed instructions for reporting the use of the fairway are provided in the Fintraffic Master's Guide for Vessel Traffic. The Master's Guides are available on the Fintraffic website by VTS area at https://www.fintraffic.fi/en/vts/masters-guide.

Further information:

Sailing directions for Finnish waters Parts 1 and 2

Squat calculator - Toll for the master of the ship to ensure sufficient keel clearance